Golden Metal and Meteorite
by 3VAD127
Summary: Sukka Week, Day 7: Erased. It was horrible, Suki thought, to be standing right in front of someone you love… only to see that blank expression in their eyes and know that their mind is a million miles away from you.
1. Day 1: Shelter

**Disclaimer:** Sukka Week was the genius idea of… um, Kimba? I think… I dunno. Oh, and "Avatar" doesn't belong to me, either; just these drabbles.

**Author's Notes:** YES! Finally, a Sukka Week! :D I'm seriously excited for this week, and I think I've got some great ideas for these prompts y'all might enjoy. So, this is it—a full week of Sokka and Suki! Let the games begin…

WARNING!: Major fluff ahead. Toothbrushes recommended to remove any excess sugar.

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 1: Shelter

_--_

"No, that's not right. Do it again, and widen your stance this time." The young Earthbender boy nodded, a determined glint in his polar blue eyes. He shifted his feet further apart, just like his sifu told him, and attempted the routine again. The woman in front of him stood with her arms crossed over her chest, feet planted firmly in the dirt, and a creasing scowl on her face. The boy firmly slid through his stances, combining the rigid solidity of earth with the flowing simpleness of water. This time, a giant chunk of earth dislodged itself from the grassy backyard and floated above the boy's head. The kid grinned, eager to please. Toph Beifong smirked and tilted her head to the side. "Not too shabby, kid. Once more—and let's try for a bigger boulder this time."

His mother, an auburn-haired warrior woman, stood in the house, watching her son's lessons with keen interest. She rested her elbows against the open window frame and let the fresh air of Ba Sing Se whip through her pale green clothes. A voice from behind her interrupted her thoughts. "She really is a great teacher, isn't she?" her husband said.

Suki turned around to face him and leaned against the wall. "She better be. Toph _did_ teach the almighty Avatar Earthbending."

Sokka let out a deep, throaty chuckle and rested his forearm on the wall above her. "Please," the young man scoffed. "Aang was just a kid when he learned Earthbending. Heck, he still _is_ just a kid."

Suki just pursed her lips. "He and your sister are due for another one next month."

Sokka sighed, running a hand through his dark brown wolftail. "I know," he muttered. "That's like, what, their third or something? Believe me, I totally approve of my sister and my best friend—who just so _happens_ to be the Avatar—hooking up, but it's… just… yeah. Really weird, y'know? I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

The Kyoshi woman wrapped her arms around his neck and stole a kiss. "I know what you mean," she said slowly.

Sokka looked surprised. "You do?"

Suki shrugged. "Well, no, not really, but I get where you're coming from." He kissed her this time, longer and more slowly than last time. "They do have to repopulate the Air Nomads, you know." Suki giggled when her husband stuck out his tongue.

"I wish they could keep the repopulating to themselves. I'm almost afraid to go over to their house anymore."

She flicked his ear playfully. "Sokka…"

"What?" His voice shot up an octave or so, like it used to when he was fifteen. "I'm just telling the truth."

"They love each other. So what?"

The Water Tribe man chewed on his lip for a moment and stared off into space, like he was deeply considering something. "I love you," he said abruptly, capturing her gaze with his.

Suki smiled as she felt her face heat up. How was it, after all these years, he still had the ability to make her flush like this? "I love you, too," she answered, tightening her arms around his neck to pull his body closer. In an instant, she felt his warm lips pressed against hers, and she completely immersed herself in him. His hug, his touch, his taste, his smell—everything that made Sokka… Sokka. Suki loved it. She tilted her head to the side to allow his mouth more access, and she could feel his tongue poking at the entrance of her mouth—

"Eeew! Momma and Daddy are kissing!" A young, high-pitched voice forced its way through the couple's reverie, and they swiftly broke apart.

Suki said, "Koda, honey, what are you doing in here? I thought you were napping."

The young boy rubbed his eye with his fist. "I was, but then I got hungry. An' I heard Toph and Deshi Earthbending outside, so… yeah." The young boy turned his iceberg blue eyes on his father. "Daddy, can I have some blubbered seal jerky?"

Sokka chuckled. Koda was truly a daddy's boy. Named after his grandfather, his real name was Hakoda, but in order to prevent any confusion, they usually called the little four-year-old Koda. With brown hair, dark skin, and icy blue eyes, he was the spitting image of his father, in every sense of the word. He was smart and loved to play; meat was his favorite food; and he could always be found getting into trouble. If Suki hadn't birthed him, she might even question whether or not he was her son.

Sokka scooped up Koda in his arms and carried him into the kitchen. "We don't have much seal jerky left, buddy, so I think we're going to have to save that. But I can heat up a stewed sea prune or two if you just can't live until dinner tonight."

The boy squealed in delight. "Sea prunes! Yes!"

Suki made a disgusted face. Ugh. Sea prunes were absolutely _terrible_. Now cabbage rolls, on the other hand… Suki could _die_ for cabbage rolls.

Sokka's voice wafted through their modest house from the kitchen. "Suki… honey, can you c'mere and help me with these spark rocks?"

She walked into the room and saw Koda tugging on his father's blue tunic. "Lemme try, Daddy. I can do it right! C'mon, lemme try really quick… lemme try lemme try lemme_ try_…" Sokka was trying to ward off his son while shifting the spark rocks in his hands so they would actually… y'know, _spark_.

"Koda… you're bothering Daddy." Suki captured the hyperactive four-year-old in her arms and smoothed down his little blue tunic—the one that was _exactly_ like Daddy's. Sokka stuck out his tongue experimentally. "Now, let's try this again…"

--

Toph and Deshi's Earthbending session was over for the day, so to entertain themselves, Toph decided to play a trick on Sokka and Suki. Deshi was reluctant at first, but his teacher insisted it would be great fun and a fantastic prank. At the word "prank," Deshi immediately perked up and nodded his head eagerly, ready to participate. The two benders were currently crouched behind a rock, waiting for their targets to walk out the back door of the house. Toph put her hand on the boy's red head, pushing him down closer to the ground.

"You need to be sneakier, Deshi, or else your parents will see you."

The Earthbender boy nodded. "Ooh, look, Sifu Toph! Here they come!"

"Yes, I can feel that. Now, on the count of three… just like we practiced. If we're lucky, we'll get at least one of them. One… two… three!"

Suki let out a yelp when she suddenly found herself trapped inside of an earthen tent. She scrabbled at the walls while Sokka stood outside, still screaming. "Toph!" he yelled. "You are _not_ being a good role model for my son! Not to mention you just trapped Suki in an earth te—!" Suddenly, the dark-skinned man felt a rock shoving him off-balance; he fell into the open door of the earth tent, which was then quickly shut off by Toph. Sokka yelled in surprise and got up, violently beating against the walls of rock.

"Toph, I know you're out there! I can hear your obnoxiously loud laughter! And I'm sure you can't ignore all the annoying vibrations I'm giving off…"

Suki rested a hand on his shoulder. "Honey, I think we're stuck."

Sokka sighed and rested his forehead against the slanted wall of the tent. "I think you're right."

Toph's laughing voice pierced through the rough rock walls of their prison. "Don't worry, I'll take care of the kids. You two have fun now, you hear?"

"Oh, you bet we will," Sokka growled under his breath. He rubbed his forehead, then clinched the bridge of his nose.

Suki said, "How are we gonna get out of here?"

Sokka shrugged. "You got me. I'm not an Earthbender."

Suki just shook her head and resigned herself to their prison. She tugged at her collar. Earth was a great insulator, and she was getting kind of hot…

"Um, Suki?" Sokka's voice cracked slightly. "What are you doing?"

The woman pulled off her tunic and flicked it in the corner. "I'm hot," she said simply.

"OK…" Sokka scooted closer to her, taking her slim shoulders in his hands and massaging them lightly. "You feel kinda tense, too. You need to loosen up."

Suki tilted her head. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

Her husband grinned coyly. "That depends… Is it working?"

Sokka's experienced hands hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, and she moaned softly. "Most definitely." He laid her down, and no sooner had they begun than the rain began to fall in torrents.

--

The next morning, Sokka and Suki were awoken bright and early by a boatload of leftover water pouring down on them. Sokka started awake, rubbing his eyes roughly, while Suki let out a shriek. Toph and Deshi stood on the top of the hill, their silhouettes highlighted by the early morning sun. "Wakey wakey, sleepyheads!" Toph taunted. She held up a piece of dark blue fabric.

Sokka looked down at himself. "Hey, what the…? How did you get my pants!"

The blind Earthbender laughed and tossed the trousers to her pupil. "Run, Deshi, run!" The boy did as he was told, shooting off at breakneck speed across the wet grass. Sokka yelled and chased after him, his blue tunic flying open. Suki laughed and pulled her own tunic closed around her.

"You are going to be in _so_ much trouble, young man!" the Water Tribesman shouted after his son. The auburn-haired boy let out an overjoyed yell and pumped his legs faster, using Earthbending to maneuver himself around the base of a slippery hill. He knew Sokka wouldn't _really_ do anything to him; his dad just liked to yell out empty threats to make him stop. Sokka's bare feet skidded against the wet grass, and he fell on his butt, shouting in surprise as he tumbled across the yard. Toph sat cross-legged on the hill, absolutely laughing her butt off.

Suki couldn't help but chuckle a little as well. He was such a goofball.

And last night had been great, too. Her blue eyes slid shut as she imagined his tan fingers working their magic across her body; she shivered in delight. What they had once thought was a prison had turned out to be quite a shelter in that storm. And as the warrior woman watched her best friend, her husband, and her son all laughing and pointing and sliding around on the waterlogged backyard, she knew that she couldn't have imagined it any other way.

A little voice and a tugging at her elbow made her look down. Koda stared up at her with those polar blue eyes. "Momma… I'm hungry." She sighed and scooped him up.

"Of course you are, baby. How does some cabbage rolls for breakfast sound?"

"Yes! Cabbage rolls!"

Suki rolled her eyes. "You know, there may be some hope left for you, after all."

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	2. Day 2: Humiliation

**Disclaimer:** "Avatar" belongs to Bryke. This story belongs to me. DON'T STEAL.

**Author's Notes:** Super-awesome special thanks to: A. LaRosa, arizony, anon, Julie The Hunter, razzledazzle41191, Rose Gilmore, Kimba616, and nutshak for reviewing last chapter! Glad you all liked it.

OK, so I'll be trying my best to update every day, like we're supposed to, but I'm not making any promises. The first day of school for me is actually Day 5: Blitz, which also just so happens to be my best friend's birthday. So I will do the best I can, but _no promises_.

…On another note, school sucks. Forever. And I don't know why, but this was, by far, the hardest drabble to write. If it seems rather forced, I apologize, but I really had no good inspiration for this prompt. Enjoy, anyway.

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 2: Humiliation

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This was so unmanly. So terribly embarrassing that it wasn't even funny.

Though Suki thought it was funny. She thought it was hilarious, actually. Sokka could tell by the way her cheeks flushed and her dark blue eyes were dancing with mirth that she was having so much fun with this. He didn't know how, but someway, she had managed to track him down and lasso him into another "training session with the girls." Sokka had just been keeping to himself, mindlessly chopping wood for the house when his girlfriend dragged him into the training hut and proceeded to rip his clothes off. At first, he was a little excited, if not a bit anxious too—until she shoved the bundle of green fabric into his arms. He knew what that meant, and there was no way in hell he was wearing a dress.

Y'know… again.

But somehow, Suki had managed to do it. Maybe it was because Sokka had a soft spot for her, or maybe it was because she talked in such an uncharacteristically sweet (and somewhat forceful) manner that he couldn't help but comply. But, most likely, it was because of that smoky glint in her eyes, and that pink tongue trailing across the length of her full, painted lips—promises of _very_ good things to come if he decided to do as he was told.

Yeah, that was probably it.

Sokka stood before the group of warrior girls in a fighting stance, glancing cautiously at the woman across from him. Suki whipped out a golden fan and placed it against his outstretched wrist. She began, "Today, girls, Sokka and I are going to demonstrate some basic principles of the Kyoshi fighting style. As all of you know, our way of fighting depends on agility and dexterity—having the ability to turn the other opponent's strengths against him. Here is a throw move I perfected while in prison." The girl turned her blue eyes toward her boyfriend and said, "OK, Sokka, throw a punch."

The Water Tribesman shifted forward and extended his arm much more slowly than necessary towards Suki's face—all in the spirit of demonstration. She grabbed his fist with her other hand. "Now the first thing to do is distract your opponent; grabbing his fist just happens to be a personal favorite of mine," the Kyoshi girl explained with a slight smile. "While they're distracted, throw off their balance by widening their stance with your feet. This is also a good distraction technique." Suki locked her ankle around Sokka's right leg and swiftly positioned him further apart. He let out a yelp of surprise.

Even though he totally saw it coming. He locked eyes with Suki and saw the malevolent smirk of authority crossing over her features. Sokka then had a sinking feeling in the pit of his gut that this could not end well for him. Not at all.

The auburn-haired teen continued her explanation. "Then feint backwards, shift your weight, and let gravity do the rest." Sokka felt a tug on his arm, and suddenly, he was flying through the air. He let out another terrified cry as he landed flat on his back, the wind nearly knocked out of him. Suki stood above him, hands planted on her hips, and her perfect red lips tugged upwards in a grin.

Not to be one-upped, Sokka squinted up at her and decided a route he had used many times before to save his dignity—humor. "Just like old times, eh Suki?" The dark-skinned boy flashed a goofy smile.

Suki rolled her eyes but laughed nonetheless as the other Kyoshi warriors giggled in the background.

--

Training today… hadn't been fun at all for poor Sokka. Suki continued to use him in her demonstrations, and the girls continued to poke fun at him. It's a little-known fact among women that the "testosterone meter" and the "humiliation meter" are closely tied in with each other. With every moment that passed in the dojo, Sokka could literally _hear_ his manliness ticking away 'til it hit ground zero. Oh man, did Suki owe him for this one.

He threw the gloves and arm braces in a corner of the changing room, then pulled down the outer shell of the uniform so it hung around his waist. Sokka could never admit it to his girlfriend, but there were some perks to being the only guy in a squad of female warriors—one of them was that he got to walk around bare-chested. He walked around the dojo before opening the door to Suki's room. When she heard him come in, she gave a small scream and held her dress to her chest.

Sokka grinned and leaned against the doorframe. Suki thought he looked quite sexy, but she would never admit that out loud. Instead, she rolled her eyes. "Why do you feel the need to do that? You could knock, you know." The girl dropped the top part of her dress and began untying her chest wrap.

"Yes, I suppose I _could_, but I think it's more fun to scare you." The boy chuckled slightly. "Besides, I need you to help me take off my facepaint."

Suki sighed. "Again?"

"Yes," he replied indignantly. "I don't want to smear it and look like a clown."

"OK fine." She pulled the rest of the dress off and folded her chest wrap neatly before turning to her boyfriend, wet towel in hand. "Close the door and let's get started," she ordered.

--

After getting a tad bit… distracted while undressing, Sokka and Suki were walking through the town of Kyoshi, arm in arm. Suki rested her head on Sokka's arm, enjoying the feeling of the bright sun across her face. This was the first summer since the fall of Firelord Ozai, and the return of Sozin's Comet. She sighed. "I can't believe it's been a year already," she commented.

The dark boy glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I can," he said after a while. "Everything has been moving so slowly, it seems. Like, I'm turning seventeen next month, but it feels like I should be so much older than that."

Suki looked up at him with a frown. "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean…" Sokka shifted on his feet. "Nevermind. It's not important."

His warrior friend didn't press the matter. "You did a really good job today in practice; the girls thought all your moves were very accurate." She smiled and elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

Sokka did not question the sudden topic change. Instead, he groaned. "I swear, Suki, that is the _last_ time you are pulling me into that. I am never participating in your sick little 'demonstrations' ever again."

The girl just blinked her blue eyes at him and said sweetly, "What, you didn't enjoy it?"

He snorted. "No."

"Do you hold a grudge then?"

Sokka then made the mistake of looking straight into her eyes. "I… no, I could never hold a grudge against you."

She leaned against his arm playfully. "So… no revenge?"

"No revenge."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He held a hand mockingly over his heart. But his other hand was tucked away behind his back, with two fingers crossed. "No revenge," he repeated with a smirk.

--

After dropping Sokka back off at his chopping block, Suki had decided to go into the market and just peruse around, like girls are sometimes prone to do. Suki prided herself in being extremely practical—everything and everyone had a specific purpose and a role to do. But even she could not resist the allure of the occasional spontaneous shopping trip, just for fun. With a few pieces of silver and some copper, she had bought a lovely necklace and matching earrings, as well as a new pair of undergarments. She was hoping to find her boyfriend to help her break them in tonight, but he was nowhere to be found.

The auburn-haired girl was walking down a side-street of Kyoshi when a large crowd in the center of town caught her eye. Curious about all the commotion, she stepped out and melded into the people, tucking the package tightly under her arm. To her complete and utter horror, she saw her wayward boyfriend standing on a short wooden platform and waving his hands around animatedly.

"—and that's when I realized that I truly, without a doubt, loved her," the Water Tribe boy said, speaking through a rolled-up piece of paper. A few girls sighed, and Suki was sure he had been speaking for a while. She felt her face flush when she realized who he was talking about. _Oh God…_ _Just kill me now. _She tried to escape out of the throng of people, but they were too tightly packed together; and before she could break away, Sokka had spotted her.

"…In fact," he continued in a loud voice, "she's in the crowd right now! Please, Suki, step up here; I'd like to brag about you."

The girl swore the entire village swiveled their heads at the exact same time to stare at her. She ducked her head, trying to avoid their uncomfortable gazes. Someone pushed her from behind, and she had no choice but to join her boyfriend on stage. Her face was bright red, and she put on a fake smile to fool the crowd.

"You're going to pay for this," she whispered through clenched teeth.

"Please," he scoffed. "This is payback." Sokka held up the "microphone" again. "I would like to tell you just how completely amazing and awesome and wonderful this girl Suki is." He patted her on the shoulder, then wrapped her in a one-armed hug. "I'm sure most of you already know this, growing up around Suki and all, but I just have to say that this woman is certainly one-of-a-kind." A buzz erupted through the crowd.

As Sokka continued his speech, all Suki could do was stand there and try to smile. His arm felt extremely heavy around her shoulders, and the intense gazes of everyone in the crowd unnerved and humiliated her. Here she was, being talked about in front of her _entire_ village—everyone she had ever grown up with. Suki looked out across the mass of people, and she recognized every single face out there.

The village suddenly erupted in a unanimous approving cheer, and the auburn-haired girl could only assume that Sokka's speech was finally over. As they made their way through the congregation, all waving and agreeing and congratulating them on… each other, basically, Suki started growling into his ear. "What the _freak_ was that all about, Sokka?"

The polar warrior refused to look at her. "I was simply telling everyone how great you are," he explained, keeping a smile on his face for everyone else.

"You completely embarrassed me in front of my entire village."

"You completely humiliated me in front of the entire squadron of Kyoshi Warriors." Sokka suddenly chuckled and shook some guy's hand.

Suki sighed softly and ignored the pat on the shoulder from a woman in the crowd. "I suppose that's fair," she admitted. "But still! You promised no revenge."

"I had my fingers crossed," he replied with a smirk on his face.

She clenched her fists. "Ooh… Sokka—! You irritating… I don't even know _what_ you are."

"You're welcome!" he exclaimed happily. "I love you, too. What's in the package?" he asked suddenly, eying her brown parcel curiously.

"Nothing," she sniffed. "Nothing you would be interested in, anyway."

"Aww, please?" the boy pouted. "I'm sorry… I just felt it was necessary. I mean, the first time you made a fool of me in front of the other warriors, it was totally necessary and it really brought me down to size. But this time… this time I just felt like you were being mean. I apologize; I didn't mean to mortify you or anything—"

She placed a finger on his lips. "I'm sorry, too. You're right; it was wrong of me to use you like that." Suki laced her fingers through his tan ones.

He poked her in the side as they finally weaved through the throng of bodies, walking towards their cabin. "Can I see what's in that package?"

She smirked. "Maybe."

Sokka looked at the dirt for a moment, pursing his lips, before he asked tentatively, "Did we just fight?"

The girl stopped. "Well… I guess so. Yeah."

"You wanna have make-up sex then?"

"You know, Sokka, I think that's the best idea you've had all day."

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	3. Day 3: Power

**Disclaimer:** Your author has become extremely lazy. See previous chapter.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to A. LaRosa, Julie The Hunter, Kimba616, pancakes, and our latecomer nutshak for reviewing this time around. Muchas gracias and all that.

This was another pretty difficult prompt, but not as hard as _Humiliation_. I hope you like it. Oh, and uh… sorry if it's extra super-short, but that's just the way it turned out.

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 3: Power

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Sokka liked to think he was a pretty powerful person. Well… relatively compared to some other people in the world. And even if he himself wasn't exactly "The Man" per se, he knew people who were. His best and very first friend was the Avatar. He was on a first-name basis with the Firelord himself. His other best friend was Toph Beifong, single-handedly the world's greatest Earthbender and only Metalbender at the age of twelve. His sister was the world's greatest Waterbender, and his grandfather was the man who taught her everything she knows. Zuko's uncle was one of the world's most amazing Firebenders, the ex-Firelord's brother, the current Firelord's trusted advisor, and the Dragon of the West, a respected Grand Master of Pai Sho. His girlfriend was the leader of an elite team of female warriors. His father was the chief of the entire Southern Water Tribe. His master was the best swordsmaster and swordsmaker in the entire Fire Nation, probably in the whole world. Even his ex-girlfriend was the freaking Moon Spirit.

Sokka could go on, but I think you get the picture. He _knew_ people. Important, powerful people—even though he liked to think he was pretty powerful, he knew that, in truth, he wasn't.

He was just a guy with a boomerang, after all. He didn't ask for all this flying, and magic. But, come to think of it, he wasn't even that much anymore. Boomerang had been lost, along with his beloved Space Sword.

But that was OK. The tribesman thought he didn't need any of those things. Sure, he loved them, and he missed them, but his weapons were put to good use—saving Toph's life. He'd do it all over again if he had the chance. He drummed his tan fingers on the table and chanced a glance at Suki. She and the other warriors were currently visiting Zuko in his massive fire palace, and they were taking advantage of the large dirt courtyard to train a little. Sokka sat off to the side on a patio at a low, squatty table with these cool pull-out cushion things. The design was ingenious, if he did say so himself.

He couldn't help but be awestruck by their complicated routines. Even Ty Lee, who was pretty new compared to the other girls, was keeping up nicely. Spread apart, punch, thrust, kick-kick, sweep, stand up, repeat. It was amazing how they all stayed together—like the girls were all synchronized, each warrior a separate moving piece, punching furiously and moving swiftly like a well-oiled machine. And Suki, his girlfriend, was leading them all.

How cool was that.

Sokka heard some footsteps, and he looked up to see his father and Piandao strolling across the veranda. They were simply engaging in casual conversation, but even so, Sokka felt the need to stand up—out of respect, mostly. The older men nodded at him as they passed by. Sokka grinned and cast a glance back over his shoulder; looks like the Kyoshi Warriors were about done with their training. He scratched his neck. Maybe he could find something else interesting to watch…

Observing was his forte, after all.

--

Sokka pulled his lanky frame up the balcony, grabbing on to the curved roof tiles and pulling himself upward. His feet scrabbled along the loose shingles while his slim fingers somehow found little niches in which to bury themselves for support. He pulled himself up to the lip of the roof and, ever so carefully, two icy blue eyes peered over the top…

…Just in time to notice an explosion of rock and fire from the training grounds below. He would never admit this to his friends, but he loved watching bending practice. The only time in the world when someone could observe all four elements working in perfect harmony, without the intent to destroy or harm. Water lashed out and whipped around, smoothly defending itself. Zuko's fireballs were always bright and fierce, yet controlled; the rocks Toph chucked were stable and thrown with deadly precision; and Aang? His element swirled and joined and defended, turning water into mist, suffocating the fire, and blasting away at the earth.

How cool was that.

Sokka was sure that one of these days, someone would discover him and his guilty pleasure. But that was OK. He was just a man fascinated by powerful elements, and the masters who bended them.

--

Suki didn't necessarily think she was very powerful. Yes, she commanded the elite Kyoshi Warriors, and yes, her boyfriend knew many people in very high places, but… that didn't mean she herself was powerful. Per se. You know. Kinda.

Whatever.

So the blue-eyed girl held her head up high and pretended it didn't matter. Even though… in a way… it kinda did.

Yes, it sounded stupid, and yes, it sounded childish, but when it came to political and social standings, she knew Sokka had her beat. Pssh. Not like it mattered. To her, anyways.

…Right.

The girl folded her uniform and placed it on the shelf in the room she shared with Sokka. It was lovely and opulent, with a thick crimson carpeting and velvet drapes that went from the floor to the ceiling. A golden Fire Nation symbol was emblazoned on the bed curtains and also on the piece of fabric hanging from the doorway of the bathroom. Suki placed her hands on her hips and looked around. It was really nice of Zuko to set them up like this. It even had a balcony overlooking the green courtyard where she had been training earlier.

She ran her hands over the soft pillows decorating the head of the bed, and she couldn't help but remember the meeting earlier today. Yes, it sounded cliché, and she was sure EVERYONE saw it coming, but even during a time of peace, meetings were needed to maintain order and balance between the nations. But, unlike what most would expect, these gatherings were not long and dull, full of boring monologue and old guys who were self-important. Instead, it was more a gathering of friends and close relatives, discussing the well-being of the people they cared about.

(They only got off on rabbit trails a _few_ times… but that was mainly Sokka's fault.)

Suki remembered how much he had grown up since she met him. He was… really amazing, actually, with these agreements. He could propose stunning and inventive fixes to problems presented all around the world, and he could make it sound good, too. When he wasn't under pressure (or when he didn't _think_ he was), Sokka could be an articulate orator. He stood before the gathering of important and powerful people, and he just gave off this… _aura_. Suki had noticed that people tended to follow him, without really knowing why.

He had grown into an amazing leader, and he wasn't even a technical adult yet.

How cool was that.

Suddenly, her boyfriend Sokka threw open the door to their room and pranced around, proclaiming some good news or another. The warrior girl smiled. "I can tell the meeting went well," she commented.

"Yes it did!" he agreed enthusiastically.

She leaned against the bedpost. "Anything exciting happen?"

Sokka shrugged. "Nah, not really. I don't think you'd be interested in it."

"You're right; politics have always bored me to death."

The dark teen grunted in response. "I'm sorry." He suddenly swept her off her feet and captured her in a kiss, spinning her around a few times before falling onto the bed.

"What are you sorry about?" she laughed, her face flushed.

"I don't know," he murmured into her ear. "Sometimes I just say 'I'm sorry' if I don't know what else to say. 'Cause, chances are, I've screwed something up again."

Suki grabbed the hem of his shirt and kissed him again—hard. It was easy to get lost in the machinations of each other: simply the way he was, the way he treated her, the way he _touched_ her. For she was a skilled warrior, trained in the delicate art of stealth. But somehow, someway, Sokka had the ability to reduce her to a quivering bundle of nerves and flushing want—so much so she could hardly contain herself. He just had that… power.

Because, after all, power was a relative term.

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	4. Day 4: Duel

**Disclaimer:** It should be obvious by now that Avatar belongs to Nick.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you: Julie The Hunter, A. LaRosa, Albus Paulson, nutshak, and xjk121212 for your reviews. Love you guys!

Hmm… not much to say here, except this one was bordering on "pretty difficult" as well. This was the only oneshot where I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing; I just sat down and _wrote_. Hope it came out OK… :P

Reviewers: Oh no… D:

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 4: Duel

--

There are many different types of duels, I think. But while I'm the Avatar and I generally try to avoid fights at all costs, it's really hard to ignore sometimes—especially with Sokka and Suki around. I swear, those two can fight like panther-cats and polar-dogs, if you give them the chance. Though it absolutely escapes my mind how they can get along so well, too… But just give the two a subject, and they can fight about it. It's crazy, but it's true. I've seen it happen.

…What's that, you say? You think they're the perfect couple? … Well, you've got another thing coming.

…Still don't believe me? … Well, I'm the Avatar, for one, and I don't lie. But for all you doubters and skeptics in the crowd, here's some hard evidence.

--

**Of Opinion—Verbal**

Suki stood in front of a small boiling pot of stew, gripping the wooden spoon tightly and stopping every few moments to check the consistency. So far, it was only meat and gravy; they had yet to add the vegetables. Sokka was at the chopping block a few feet away, slicing through carrots, celery, potatoes, and even some spiced leechie nuts—which, surprisingly, made a very tasteful side-dish. The Water Tribesman had wanted to make a traditional Arctic dish of seal blubber and whalebone, mashed up into a paste; but obviously, Suki would have none of it. That sounded disgusting and fatty, she said—the Spirits knew they needed more vegetables in the house.

So they compromised. Tonight, they were having cowpig stew. Just… plain old… cowpig stew. With vegetables.

The auburn-haired woman looked over her husband's shoulder. "You're not chopping those carrots right," she said suddenly.

"Yes I am," he grunted. "They're perfect! See?" He held up a carrot slice.

"No, you're making them too big."

"I am not! They need to be large so they don't fall apart in the stew."

"That's because you want to cook it too long. And besides, slimmer carrot slices cook faster."

"But it doesn't taste as good. They need to be large so they can absorb some of the flavors of the stew."

"They'll absorb the flavors, anyway, if you cut it the way I told you to. And big slices are always crunchy; nobody likes crunchy carrots in stew."

Sokka rolled his blue eyes. "Well, if you cooked it long enough, they wouldn't _be_ crunchy. They would be nice and tender—just how I like them. And if you make them skinny, then they're all floppy and smooshy and disgusting."

"NO. They're not floppy unless you overcook them."

"But look at the meat! It's not nearly tender enough for stew. We need large carrot slices so we can cook this thing for a longer amount of time." He took on an air of superiority. "Trust me, Suki; I _know_ these things. Growing up at the South Pole, it was meat meat meat—hardly any vegetables, except for a few weeks during the summer. And, of course, if we could manage to swipe something from the Earth Kingdom in exchange for furs or weapons or something."

Suki huffed loudly. "Well, growing up on Kyoshi Island, we had nutrient-rich soil perfect for agriculture. We hardly ever had red meat, but we did eat a lot of fish; a good fishing industry, you know."

"We trapped, killed, and prepared our own food every day. We barely survived every winter after the men left."

"We relied on hard work to cultivate our land into growing fruits and vegetables."

Sokka held up his hands. "Good for you," he mocked.

"Now, don't you even," Suki warned. "Don't you get that _tone_ with me. Unless you're _trying_ to get on my bad side."

The tanned man sniffed. "Whatever."

His wife peeked over his shoulder again. Sokka had moved the carrots off to the side and was now attempting to slice the celery. "You're not chopping that celery right."

"Yes I am! For crying out loud, just let me do my job…"

--

**Of Preferences—Mental**

Sokka stood on the beach, arms crossed over his chest, as he observed the passers-by. A group of young girls in not-too-modest swimsuits passed by him, giggling and gently nudging each other while they tried to subtly eye him. The tribesman whistled to himself.

Suki suddenly came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What are you whistling at?" she said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Why… you jealous?" He smirked.

_Two can play at that game. _"No." She tossed her brownish-red hair over her shoulder and pointed to a streamlined, yet well-built young man playing beach volleyball a short distance away. "Now _that's_ something to whistle at," Suki said, openly admiring the black-haired Fire Nation man. She noted with satisfaction when Sokka frowned ever so slightly—and he thought she wouldn't notice.

The Water Tribe warrior shook his dark head. "Huh-uh," he denied, still trying to cover up his green-eyed monster. "Those girls were much more attractive than that volleyball punk."

"That is a matter of opinion," she said softly, allowing her eyes to slowly slide shut. She could feel Sokka quiver underneath her. Whether he was angry or jealous… or both… she couldn't tell.

The dark-skinned man opened and closed his fists methodically, trying not to freak out. So. Suki thought that guy was… attractive. Surely some random dude from the Fire Nation wasn't as stunningly handsome and drop-dead gorgeous as he was… Right? Certainly his beloved Suki would not betray him for Beach Volleyball Man. Sokka felt his Manliness Meter ticking down a few degrees.

Problem: unwanted attention towards someone else.

Solution: eliminate competition.

A leather ball bounced through the sand and rolled towards the couple. Sokka eyed the sphere cautiously and looked up, noticing his rival Volleyball Man approaching. The guy smiled brightly, taking a few moments to notice Suki… _his girlfriend._ Sokka felt his temper rising. Angrily, he picked up the volleyball and spiked it, slamming that stupid, sexy, girlfriend-stealer right in the face. He was out cold.

Mission accomplished.

Suki gasped. "Sokka!"

"What? You would've done the same thing if those swimsuit girls came back."

Suki paused. "You're absolutely right." She settled her chin into the crook of his neck. "I guess we're both just the jealous type."

Her companion laughed. "Yeah. The _really_ jealous type."

--

**Of Dominance—Physical**

Sokka dug his bare toes into the dirt, trying to regain his balance. His breathing was heavy and labored, dark brown hair sticking to his sweaty skin. The tribesman held a wooden training sword in front of him, doing his best to not get his butt whooped by the man in front of him.

Zuko was also sweating profusely in the humid Fire Nation climate; he held his sword straight in front of him, while Sokka guarded his at a sharp angle. Even though the blades were wooden, they were still anything but dull. Zuko had already put several slits in Sokka's deep blue trousers, and the tribesman, in return, had smacked him on the head a few times. The Firebender knew he'd have at least a few bruises there.

Suki and Mai sat off to the side, content with watching the show and occasionally engaging the other in conversation. Zuko and Sokka were close friends, so it was often Mai and Suki left alone to get acquainted with each other. The boys charged towards each other once again, varying degrees of aggression etched across their faces as the women looked on.

Sokka slashed, Zuko parried, then the Firebender jumped into the air to avoid another slice. Sokka lunged forward but Zuko dodged in time, allowing the sword to whistle past his ear. Zuko crouched and kicked, and when the tribesman jumped, he planted an elbow in Sokka's gut. The Water Tribesman doubled over but managed to avoid a barrage of slices aimed at his head. This sort of sparring went on for some time before Zuko suddenly managed to nick Sokka in the arm. Immediately, both parties stopped in their tracks.

The Firelord bowed. "Well played, man," he said, grinning.

The tribesman returned the smile. "I could say the same for you."

Suki rushed over to her boyfriend and examined the gash on his arm. "You need to get this looked at," she said.

He pulled his arm away and walked towards a wooden bench where he had stowed his tunic. "I'm fine," he insisted. "It's just a little cut."

"Well, yes, maybe, but it can still get infected. We need to see your sister."

Sokka sighed. "I told you, I'm fine." He tried to walk away, but he suddenly found himself pinned to the ground underneath a very concerned and somewhat angry girlfriend. Suki straddled his waist and held his wrists securely above his head.

"Now you listen to me, mister," she said playfully. "You _will_ go see Katara, and you _will_ get this 'little cut' taken care of, you hear me?"

"Yes, Mother," he joked.

Suki chuckled. "That's your sister's job. _This _is my job." Then, slowly, she moved her red lips closer to his as Sokka arched his back in anticipation. She took one look into his dark eyes before quickly closing the distance between them, lips meeting together with crushing force and tongues meeting together in the middle.

Mai and Zuko stood together in the background, trying to ignore the couple on the ground. "Maybe we should leave them alone," Mai suggested. Her companion nodded, and they headed off to explore their own version of battle.

Suki looked into Sokka's smiling face, and she could tell he wanted to touch her. Slowly, she released her iron grip on his wrists and sighed when he began massaging her back. The warrior woman felt the tension building in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly, it felt like she was flying through empty space. Suki gasped as Sokka flipped and positioned himself on top of her.

Suki pouted. "No fair."

"Hmm, no, it's definitely fair," Sokka muttered as he began sucking her neck. She moaned and tilted her head to the side to give him more access. "It's my turn to be on top."

--

So, as you can see, dear reader, Suki and Sokka fight—a lot. Sometimes it's in the bad and jealous way, but most of the time, they're just having fun being themselves. I'm actually really glad they found each other.

Here's a bit of Avatar wisdom… And you can definitely trust me; I speak from experience here. I have found that it is impossible to love someone without having at least one or two friendly duels in your lifetime. So go ahead and invoke a friendly war every once in a while; you may soon discover—much like Sokka and Suki did—that it doesn't have to be all bad.

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	5. Day 5: Blitz

**Disclaimer:** I'm some random person still living with my parents. I'm too young to drink, and I'm too young to pay taxes. Yeah, I _totally_ own Avatar. (sarcasm)

**Author's Notes:** I've gotta take the time to thank: A. LaRosa, Julie The Hunter, Katsumara, nutshak, and xagataraanvx, just because you all reviewed! (:

OH MY GOSH IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. D: I think I almost died. … Well, kinda. I'm a sophomore now, so that's pretty awesome! (does a little dance)

…Ahem. On another note, this is single-handedly the most anticipated oneshot for me; this was the first one that came to my mind, and I've been itching to write it since way back in July when I figured out there was gonna be a Sukka Week in August. (: I hope you all like it. **Warning to those who like humor:** This installment is going to get a bit angsty, so just as a warning for all of you, this one is going to be a lot more serious than the others.

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 5: Blitz

--

The little candle in her hand flickered and bent backwards, nearly blown out by the wind created merely from her walking across the hardwood floor. Suki held up a hand to protect her little flame, bare feet padding across the wood as her silk robe flowed out behind her and the walls flickered in the weak, eerie lightning. Darkened shadows alighted across her face; these alone were pitch-black enough, but they gained an even more endless hue in contrast to the bright-white center of the fire. The woman made haste towards the bedroom, not sparing a moment to chase away the shadow demons or close the drafty windows. Sheer curtains flowed out in the air currents, whispering through the empty space and flicking across the room while quietly licking at her ankles as the tailwind pulled them by. The house creaked and sighed in a general spirit of utter loneliness, rather than old age as most of its kind usually do.

The Kyoshi warrior lightly touched the door to her chambers, running her slim fingers across the strange etched markings carved into the wood. Everything in the house seemed so much older than it really was… so much more lonely. Even herself.

Gently, she placed the flickering beam of light on the small bedside table. It was hard to hold back a sigh—everything creaked and groaned and sighed in this house. Everything was so old. This wasn't really her home anymore… was it. Suki tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear before searching for, and finally locating, a leather-bound book. It was old and worn—the leather was peeling off at the edges, and the Chinese characters written in gold were slowly flaking and fading away. She opened it with great care, picked up a quill pen, and began to write.

The parchment pages quickly soaked up the thick ink, making tiny squiggles on the edges of each character where the black stuff had managed to escape its boundaries. Suki's handwriting was small and quick, without any frills that would cut down on their efficiency to convey a message. She wrote simply, yet smoothly, with the lilting drawl of someone who had great practice writing down their thoughts in a small book.

_For my Journal,_

_I do not know how, but it seems to be happening again. Even in this time of peace, walls are being erected within this very house that even the Avatar himself cannot break down. I've been wondering about Sokka…_ _about how much I love him. How I couldn't live without him. But everything has been so complicated lately—he works so hard to help the Avatar and the Firelord_… _or, rather, Aang and Zuko_… _keep the peace among the four nations. Always sorting through possible treaty agreements, researching ancient battle tactics, or spending uncountable sleepless nights in the library._

Suki lifted her blue eyes to cut through the dark shadows, attempting in vain to peer out the window. But all she saw was endless black outside. Slowly, she wrote,

_I occasionally worry—for our marriage, for our friends' safety…_ _but most of all, I worry for his health. Sokka seems so sick._

'He seems so sick of **me**.'Silently, the woman could not help this one thought invade her mind. It was inevitable.

Suki was a warrior, and she did not cry—EVER. But nothing, except this, could explain how her hands suddenly began to shake and her beautiful, delicate writing became deformed and blotched with water.

--

Something had awakened her. Slowly, Suki opened her eyes and blinked, bringing her fists to her face to rub away the sleepiness. "Sokka?" Her voice was rough and scratchy from lack of use.

The figure stopped in his tracks. "Go back to sleep, Suki," the man said after a short pause.

"Where were you?"

"Out," Sokka answered curtly. For some reason, their voices never rose above a whisper—mostly in the spirit of the late hour. "Out working."

She let a soft sigh pass her lips. "You're always working." The warrioress sounded so tired, even to her own ears.

"It's necessary," her husband answered. "Oh, and do you mind if I keep a tiny candle burning?"

Suki frowned. "You need sleep," she muttered, still half-groggy from the awakening.

"I'll get some." Sokka's dark hands tugged out a scroll as he repositioned the candle on the nightstand. "Later."

She scooted away from him and curled up on the other side of the bed, sliding her(_empty_)hands through the (_cold_) sheets. (_Oh, how they needed someone to warm them up._)

_Why don't you want to hold me? _She screwed her eyes shut but somehow managed to fall asleep.

--

When Suki awoke the next morning, she was not at all surprised to find the bed was empty. She pressed a hand on Sokka's side—still warm. Maybe if she hurried, she could catch him before he left…

The Kyoshi woman quickly threw on a robe and dashed out into the kitchen, where a familiar caramel-colored face greeted her. "Morning," Sokka said meekly. He apparently remembered their time together the night before. "I made breakfast. …Well, I tried to." Carefully, he placed a plate of cabbage rolls on the table in front of her. "I know how much you love them."

Suki nodded. Her favorite food. She tested one with the tip of her tongue—not too bad, actually. So she began to eat. But if her husband thought he could get away with this every night and just _magically_ be forgiven in the morning because he "made her breakfast," he was wrong. So wrong.

The nighting-robins outside the open windows sang a mournful song, their notes drifting through the house and echoing strangely across the empty corridors. It was early morning, but the sun was not out. The wind whipped by softly, rushing through the trees and making their leaves rustle. The humid smell of rain permeated the air.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said she.

"Yes. Something is."

"No, it's really not. Drop the subject."

Silence. Then, "It's because I work so much, isn't it?" Suki refused to acknowledge him. "OK, I'm sorry, baby. So… very sorry. I hate spending time away from you… you know that… but someone has to do it."

The wife clenched her cerulean eyes shut. "Anyone but you," she said softly, her voice choking in her throat. She would not cry. She was strong. A warrior.

"I am the only one ready and willing," the husband replied, snaking his dark arms around her. He tried to kiss her neck softly, but she moved away. Suki did not want him trying to seduce her. Not when he had left her so broken before.

Sokka's voice shook slightly when he spoke. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want us to be apart anymore." The nighting-robin's song sounded deathly hollow.

He didn't see it the way she did. Why couldn't he see that _she_ needed him more than the world did…? (_He __**was**__ her world…_) When was the last time they had talked? When was the last time they had cuddled, or chatted, or eaten and joked together? They hadn't sparred in such a long time… (_It felt like she was losing a best friend…_)

…When was the last time they had made love?

She felt the breath pass between his lips. "I suppose I'll be leaving for work now," he spoke against her neck. Suki felt her body tense up as his (_tender_) embrace suddenly left her… alone. Sokka walked towards the doorway but paused a moment to look back at her; she could feel his gaze burning into her back… No.

She rushed up to him just as he began walking out the door. "Don't go," she pleaded. "Don't leave me here all alone."

He gave a sad sort of smile. "I won't."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know." Suki could see him leaning in towards her, and she could see that look in his eyes that she had been longing to see for so long. She tilted her head up towards him and allowed her eyes to slide shut, feeling his warm breath bathe over her face…

Her husband shook his head slightly and kissed her on the forehead. She kept her eyes shut tightly, not being able to force herself to look into his (_lovely_) blue eyes ever again. She bit her lip. She was a warrior. Warriors did not cry. Her body shook with an emptiness, with an aching longing like he had been suddenly and forcefully taken away from her, even though Sokka was standing right there. The place where he had kissed her on the forehead felt hot, and so wrong. She touched her cheek lightly as she heard him walk away. When she opened her eyes, the warrior noticed her fingers were wet.

The nighting-robin had stopped singing.

--

Suki picked up her book and began again her careful writing.

_My dearest Journal,_

_I keep all my secrets with you. I feel like you're my best friend, the only place in the world where I can share my truest thoughts, my emotions, and all my bitter feelings. You are the other half of my soul, my only friend._

_I must tell you this: Sokka is so distant now. He would love coming home and sweeping me off my feet, taking me on dates, all of that sort of thing. But he doesn't do that anymore._

_I know that I love him. …_ _But does he still love me?_

Her right hand began to shake, and the wife knew that her calligraphy would suffer. She dropped the pen and began packing her bags.

_I don't think I can live like this anymore—seeing him every day and wanting to love him with everything I have… Only to know that he belongs to something else._

She lifted the bag over her shoulder and began padding through the house, being careful not to disturb anything in the dim twilight.

_He told me about his ex-girlfriend._ _The Moon Spirit._

She opened and closed the door softly before making her way down the shadowed dirt road.

_He told me about how his heart had only _previously _belonged to someone else. But now I can see that he was lying._

_It never belonged to me in the first place._

--

Sokka never came home. He didn't have to. He already knew what he would find there if he returned. It was so easy, though… such a stupid mistake…

So he sat down at his desk and, with shaking hands, he opened an old, leather-bound book with golden Chinese calligraphy, faded and worn with the leather peeling off the corners. And he began to write.

_Through all my travels, all my heartbreak, everything terrible that has ever happened in my life, I have only ever learned one thing: it's easy. So easy. **Too** easy._

--

She began to cry.

Because "bliss" was just two small letters away from utter destruction.

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	6. Day 6: Delight

**Disclaimer:** Avatar © Mark and Bob… Um, no wait… Mike and Bryan! Yeah, there ya go. Sorry, wrong fandom.

**Author's Notes:** To A. LaRosa, Julie The Hunter, kausingkayn, and pancakes for reviewing again—thank you very much! :D

This prompt was the most fun to write. IDK why… it just was. :P Though Day 5 was the most planned out, today's was probably the smoothest-moving oneshot. DON'T ASK ME WHY.

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 6: Delight

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Suki was in a very good mood today.

She was, without a doubt, the most hyperactive and generally excited she had been in a very long while. She bounded through the little home, her reddish-brown hair flying around her shoulders and across her face. "Sokka!" she exclaimed, running up behind him and capturing her husband in a tight hug.

"What-uh?" he sing-songed.

"Did you know… that our anniversary is next month?" The warrior couldn't hide the giddiness in her voice.

"Of course I did! How could I forget?" He paused. "Uh… seven years, right?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "Oh, and we got an invitation in the mail." Reluctantly, Suki relinquished her hold on Sokka and held up a letter which had been lying on the table. The address on the front was written in the strong, flowing script of none other than Hothead himself. "Zuko's inviting us to a reunion at his uncle's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. It's nothing special, he says, like an anniversary or whatever. He just thought it would be nice for everyone to see each other again."

Sokka placed a hand on her hip and read over her shoulder. "How nice of the Jerkbender," he commented.

Suki elbowed him roughly in the ribs. "Be nice," she laughed.

"Ow!" He rubbed his sore spot. "I am. You know Zuko's a good friend of mine." His tan fingers picked the letter from her hand; blue eyes scanned up and down as he read the letter over again. "Well, by the sound of this, we'd better leave ASAP. I don't think we should keep the Firelord waiting."

"I'll go pack!" Suki dashed off to their room to prepare for the journey to Ba Sing Se.

"Oh! Can you do mine, too, Suki? And don't forget those extra arm wraps this time."

--

It was amazing to see everyone again. It had seemed like such a long time ago, they had been the Gaang, the Boomerang Squad, just a bunch of kids traveling the world and trying to do the impossible—defeat the Fire Nation and stop the war. But they had done it; they had succeeded. Katara and Suki had rushed to wrap each other in a huge hug as soon as they saw each other, while Zuko and Sokka shook hands and thumped each other soundly on the back. As soon as Aang appeared, though, Sokka wrapped his brother-in-law in a bone-crushing hug that left even the Airbender short of breath.

Mai and Katara ended up showing off their children to Suki, who cooed and teased her little nieces and nephews.

Katara sat down on a soft pillow and pulled her youngest, a baby boy, onto her lap. "It's been so long since I've seen all of you!" she said excitedly, looking around the circle at her closest girlfriends. Toph tilted her head.

"I'm sorry Teo couldn't make it," the blind girl apologized. "But he and his father are really busy working on some cool new project, which he _still_ won't tell me about." She pretended to be upset.

"Aww, trouble in paradise, Toph?" Katara teased.

"I bet he's just trying to muster up the guts to propose to you," Suki said slyly. Toph muttered under her breath, but there was no hiding the dark red flushing of her cheeks.

Mai spoke up. "I can't believe how big your kids have gotten, Katara," she said, gesturing to the six-year-old boy and the four-year-old girl running around behind them. The Waterbender held the young baby closer to her chest.

"_I_ can't believe they're not Waterbenders!" Katara exclaimed. "And I was so sure of Kaya, too—I really didn't expect her to be an Airbender, considering she looks so Water Tribe."

"Poor Kenai, though," Suki spoke about Katara and Aang's oldest. "Not being a bender at all, while his parents are some of the greatest Water- and Airbenders in the whole world? He must feel kinda left out sometimes."

Katara laughed. "Oh please. Aang and I try hard not to play favorites. And besides, his Uncle Sokka babies him enough." She rolled her oceanic blue eyes.

Toph said loudly, "Spirits only know that Sokka knows no shame. He's definitely playing favorites, and Kenai's it." The girls laughed a little.

"I think he's just happy to have another non-bender around besides me." Suki sneaked a glance at her husband, who had captured Kenai and was proceeding to tickle him to death. Aang stood by and watched, laughing the whole time, while Kaya ran up to her uncle and jumped on his shoulders to distract him. The man yelped, and all three went down in a pile of Airbending and giggling little bodies.

"I'm still holding out hope that this little one's going to be a Waterbender," Katara said as she ran her fingers through the baby's curly black hair. He gurgled happily at the attention. "What about your kids, Mai?"

The black-haired woman smiled uncharacteristically as she watched Zuko out of the corner of her eye. "Both of them are great and getting so big," she said. The older boy, named after Aang's alter-ego Kuzon, and his little sister were both Firebenders. But while Kuzon was a very intelligent little boy and took his bending _very_ seriously (as well as his title of "prince of the Fire Nation"), their little girl would rather play with knives than with her fire. And Mai couldn't be more proud of her.

Suki giggled, "Mai, I think your boy might have a thing for Kaya."

"But he's only five!" Toph exclaimed.

--

Sokka sipped lightly at his tea while he and the other guys sat at a low table, watching their ladies talk. "I can't believe _both_ of you had a boy and a girl, in that order," he moaned. "Talk about irony."

Aang perked up. "Well, we've got a baby boy now, too; he's gonna be two in a few months." His voice was that of a proud father's. "And, I'm gonna tell you guys a secret." Sokka and Zuko shared a glance but leaned in over the table to hear Aang's scandalous "secret." He whispered, "I think Katara's pregnant again."

"What? No way."

Aang nodded slowly. "Oh, yes way. Call it an Avatar thing or whatever, but I'm _pretty_ sure about this."

"Have you told her yet?" Zuko asked.

The Avatar shook his bald head. "No. I'm still not one hundred percent sure, and I really don't want to get her hopes up again for nothing. She's been throwing up lately, and I've told her to see an herbalist or a healer or something. If she finally decides to go, I think we'll find out for sure then."

Sokka couldn't help but let a grin slip as he watched all four children playing together. Kaya was showing off some fancy Airbending tricks her daddy taught her, while the two boys stood at rapt attention. Mai and Zuko's girl was watching out of the corner of her eye while she let loose a few wooden practice daggers her mother had given her. She wasn't a good shot by any means, but she wasn't too bad for a three-year-old.

The tribesman suddenly felt an unexplainable sinking feeling in his stomach, like the world had dropped out from under him. He cleared his throat. "I think I need some fresh air," he explained to his companions before quickly exiting onto the balcony. While he was still within earshot, he heard Aang ask Zuko if he and Mai were going to have any more kids.

The Firebender laughed. "Are you kidding? We can hardly handle the two we have now! All the sages care about is a Firebending heir to the throne, and we've got two—a boy and a girl…"

His friends' voices drifted away as Sokka rested his dark elbows on the stone balcony. The same balcony, if he recalled correctly, where Aang and Katara had shared that meaningful kiss over seven years ago.

Sokka turned when he heard footsteps approaching him from behind. A familiar head of reddish-brown hair appeared, and a pair of dark blue eyes locked with his own lighter ones. "What are you doing out here?" Suki asked as she moved to stand next to him.

"Thinking." He leaned over and watched as the sun lit up the sky and the water with beautiful shades of pinks and oranges.

His wife leaned onto his arm. "About what?"

"Everything." He pulled away to look at her. "I can't believe everyone… everything! All of our friends have matured a lot since the end of the war…" Sokka laughed nervously as he rubbed his neck. "I can't believe how much their kids have grown up… How _old_ everyone's getting. How old _we're_ getting." Suki frowned but let it slide. "N-no, not like that," the man stuttered. "I mean… our anniversary's coming up next month. It's just mind-blowing that we've been together for seven years. And then I see my sister, and my best friend, and all of them, how they have families. They're so happy, and they've got so many little copies of themselves running around… I can't believe it…"

Suki bit her lip. She wasn't sure, but she might know where this was going. "Sokka…"

"I'm such a terrible husband!" he wailed. "I'm so… so sorry Suki!" Sokka grabbed onto her and latched onto her green tunic, digging his fingers into the lush material. "I know how much you want babies," he sniffed. "I guess I'm just not man enough to give them to you. I feel so stupid… and incompetent… and, and… tons of other stuff!"

The Kyoshi woman tried to console her husband. "Sokka, you're not incompetent… you're a great husband! I mean, look at how all of your nieces and nephews practically latch onto you…"

"But I'm _infertile_!" he sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm no _good_ for making babies!"

Suki rolled her eyes. "Sokka…"

"No, it's true!" He sniffed again quite dramatically. "We'll just have to go without ever knowing the joy of parenthood."

The warrior looked at him oddly. "You know, Sokka, there are other options to parenting than making your own babies."

"But that's the fun way…"

"Well, _duh_, but there's also adoption."

Sokka looked like he was seriously thinking about it. "OK… so you're suggesting you want to adopt a child?"

She grabbed his tan hand in her own pale one and pulled him into the tea shop, making their way upstairs into one of the private dormitories kept for overnight guests. "Hang on a sec," she said, closing them inside a room and beginning to unbutton her tunic. "Lie on the bed."

He did as he was told, and quick as lightning she was massaging his chest with her hands. "I want to talk to you seriously now, Sokka; no games, OK?"

"OK."

Pale fingers began working their magic across his lean muscles. "Tell me what you think about adoption."

"…Well, not much. I mean, I think it would be more fun to make our own kids, but whatever makes you happy is fine with me. I know you just want to be a mom and stuff."

"I would love to have kids with you too, Sokka, but I don't think it's going to work. Face it—we've been trying almost every month for seven years, and nothing's happened so far. I really want to be a parent… like you said… but I think we're going to need help."

"OK… So Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe?" He grunted as her fingers tickled around his collarbone.

"Whatever becomes available to us. If we can find an orphan somewhere, or if we can find a place that takes in orphans, that would be amazing. I really want to do this."

Sokka licked his lips and resisted the urge to say something stupid. Like… say… "I really want to do _you_." Suki stopped immediately and gave him an odd glance. He groaned. "Oh dang… I didn't mean to say that out loud…"

--

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since their teashop reunion when they had discussed the possibilities of adoption and/or taking in an orphan. And it just so happened that there was an agency in Ba Sing Se—the only one in the world, in fact—that could offer the couple an orphaned child from any of the three remaining nations. Granted, they were mainly Earth Kingdom kids, but they had connections in the Northern Water Tribe that would occasionally send them children who were unfortunate enough to lose both parents in the war.

It was on a foggy morning when Suki came into the teashop, positively beaming at all of her friends. It took Katara only a moment to notice a little squirming bundle in her arms. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed, immediately rushing into her sister-in-law and requesting she tell her _all_ the details—what nation was it from? Girl or boy? Do you know its background? And other various questions.

Suki laughed as Sokka wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well, actually, it wasn't easy. Turns out there are quite a few families out there who can't have children. We were lucky to be drawn as potential parents after only two weeks of waiting. All I know is that it's a boy, and his parents were both lieutenants in the war. They met in basic training, fell in love, got married, and had a child. But after the husband died shortly after he was born, the woman knew she couldn't live without his support. She had to give him up to protect her position in the navy."

Aang looked at the ground before managing to make eye contact. He voiced the question they all were thinking, "Now that the war's over, do you think the birth mother will come back for her child?"

Suki shook her head sadly. "No. She died—KIA."

There was a soft silence for a moment before Toph's uncharacteristically quiet voice broke the silence. "What nation is he?"

The warrior pulled back the blue covering around the baby. "Why don't you come see for yourself?"

Katara and Zuko were the first ones to rush up to Suki and the baby; Mai and Aang trailed behind, while Toph… well, Toph just stood there. Katara gasped as she looked at her new nephew—the baby had luscious, curly black hair that swirled in loops close to his head; his skin was a pale tannish color; and his eyes were a light, almost golden-brown only found one place in the entire world.

The blind Earthbender, hearing Katara's gasp and everyone's raised heartbeats, asked, "What, what? Someone please tell me what he looks like…"

Sokka ran his dark fingers over his new son's face, feeling the prickling softness of his black eyelashes beneath his fingertips. "He's Fire Nation," the man answered.

"Spirits…" Toph cursed softly. "I never knew you had it in you, Snoozles. You either, Princess."

Suki cocked her head to the side, relishing the feeling of the butterflies in her chest—they had an actual, full family now. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Sokka replied quietly.

Aang and Zuko moved away while the women continued to coo over the new baby. "Quite frankly," Aang said, "I can't believe this either. Sokka's always been so against the Fire Nation… to be honest with you, I'm surprised he eventually accepted you into the group. And that painting he made? His own girlfriend was Firebending? That _really_ surprised me."

The Firelord shrugged. "I guess he just got over it."

Aang grunted in agreement. "Yeah…" He sighed. "Oh. Hey. I'm gonna tell you a secret." Zuko cocked a dark eyebrow but leaned in to hear Aang's scandalous "secret." He whispered, "I think Suki's pregnant."

"What? No way. You know they've been trying for seven years, not to mention Sokka claims to be infertile."

Aang waved a tattooed hand at his friend. "No… no. Call it an Avatar thing, but I'm almost one hundred percent sure Suki is with child."

Zuko sighed. "But why now, of all times?"

Aang shrugged. "Well, maybe there was no pressure this time. If either the man or the woman is under pressure while having intercourse, that may affect their chances to conceive—"

"OK, OK Aang! Jeez!" The Firebender rubbed his forehead, trying to erase those horrible mental images. "I did _not_ need to hear that… How did you _know_ that, anyway?"

"You would be surprised at the things a bunch of supposed 'monks' tell young children."

"Oh my God…"

The Avatar laughed loudly. "Zuko, I'm kidding! The healer told us while Katara and I were trying to conceive our first. We just relaxed, and bam! Nine months later, Kenai was born."

Zuko rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I should try that with Mai sometime."

"Pfft, like you guys need any more children…"

"Look who's talking, Mister Avatar!"

Aang laughed and blasted a bit of air into Zuko's face as his friend sputtered a little. When Zuko recovered, he asked, "So are you going to tell them?"

The Airbender crossed his arms over his chest as he watched his brother-in-law and his wife, _finally_ completely happy with their brand-new baby. And, unbeknownst to them, their own unborn child. "Nah," Aang said after a while, "I think I'll let them find out on their own."

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	7. Day 7: Erased

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, just a busted-up iPod and a virus-infested computer in which to type up my creations.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you, thank you: kausingkayn, Julie The Hunter, A. LaRosa, Albus Paulson, nutshak, BiggerThanUs2006, and Katsumara for reviewing! Cookies all around.

Another angsty chapter for you fun-loving folks. Just a warning for ya: this might get kinda deep-ish… so don't read if you're not a fan of angst slash drama slash weird whatever nonsense that comes out of my head.

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Golden Metal and Meteorite

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Day 7: Erased

--

Our memories are strange things. Thousands of snapshots all captured in a single moment, or, perhaps, over the course of time. Millions of pieces of paper flying around in our heads, bearing the symbols of our loves, our faults, everything that makes us all individuals. A memory is a fickle thing as well—it can last a lifetime, if you want it to, or it can be wiped out in the blink of an eye by the simple lighting of a match. Some people hold their parchments close to their hearts, never wishing to let go… while others light them aflame and watch them burn into nonexistence.

But sometimes… occasionally… a lifetime can be destroyed not on purpose, but by sheer accident.

--

_Ow._

Sokka felt his chest rise and fall shallowly, yet the only thing that registered in his mind was: Pain. Unending, unbearable, gut-wrenching waves of his synapses overloading and exploding. He felt a terrible spasm in his neck, like a seizure, and his head jerked to the side. It was hard to bite back the shout of agony that wanted to erupt out of his throat, but he did it. In the end, he only heard himself whine pitifully.

If it was possible, his fingers curled around his coverings even tighter. The boy tried to open his eyes to see, but immediately closed them back again—even in the dim light of the tent, it still felt like he had been hit by twenty tons of pure Earthbending rock. He bit his tongue and pushed through, ignoring the salty copper taste of blood filling his mouth.

When he finally managed to pry his eyes open, he noticed his surroundings with a wary eye. Everything was so foreign, from the deep green folds of the tent to the strange animal pelts wrapped around him. He dug his tanned fingers into the furs in wonder—what sort of freakish beasts had _brown_ hair? Where he came from, everything was white, to blend in with the endless snow and ice.

It took him a while, but he finally noticed a girl sitting cross-legged next to him, staring at him in wonder with dark blue eyes. She looked excited and hopeful, yet wary at the same time… He did not recognize her. Sokka managed to squint in the dim lighting, ignoring the rack of pain that shot through the back of his skull. He tried to shake away the headache.

--

The Water Tribesman Sokka, now quickly approaching his thirtieth year, picked his way through the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se. He knew it was a bad idea to try to come to the market on such a prime time during the week, but he really needed to restock his kitchen. The Middle Ring was the perfect place for a guy like him to live—not too fancy, but the houses were still far enough apart and the lawns were still manicured just enough to give it a sort of homey feeling.

If you could call the Earth Kingdom "homey."

He knew he had been born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, but the Fire Nation had almost completely destroyed it in their raids when he was still young. He remembered growing up with a father and a sister and a grandmother—they called her "Gran-Gran"—and that his dad was chief of the tribe. He and the other men went away to war, while himself and his sister were left alone… and he remembered his fourteenth summer with a bitter sort of fondness, recalling exactly that there was no one to take him ice-dodging since the men were away. Sokka also knew a bit about his life… up until his fifteenth year of existence. He remembered hunting and fishing and hating the Fire Nation, and that he was fifteen years old and Katara… he finally remembered her name… was fourteen, but then… his memory went rather fuzzy.

Like a blank piece of parchment.

--

The girl looked unfamiliar to him, but she didn't look unfriendly. And he had a thousand questions to ask, too—Why was he here instead of at home? Who was she, and why was she watching him? …But probably at the forefront of his mind was the question: What happened to him? He tried to open his mouth to speak, but his vocal chords felt so sore; the burning sensation was really dreadful, like trying to swallow a mouthful of smoke. He coughed.

The blue-eyed woman was broken out of her reverie as she placed a hand on his chest. "Relax, Sokka," she said. "Don't talk; you're hurt too bad."

--

Sokka shook his dark head. Nah. This was stupid. He lived in Ba Sing Se now, a non-bender happily coexisting with everyone else in the world. If you wanted to be happy, Ba Sing Se was the place to be. Rumor had it that even the Avatar and a few of his companions had settled down here in the Great City. Only rumors, of course; Sokka had his own theories about the abrupt "end" to this Hundred Year War.

He selected a melon from a street vendor and shook it close to his ear. Hmm… the juices were all sloshing around. Sounded like a good purchase to him. "Just a melon today, eh?" the vendor asked.

"Yup," Sokka replied happily. "Oh, and do you know any good meat carts? I'm afraid the last one I went to didn't sell any blubbered seal jerky."

The green-clad man pointed to his left. "Down that way—there's a genuine Water Tribe vendor, if you're interested in some of the more exotic foods." He chuckled. Sokka thanked the man and went on his way. He shoved and elbowed his way through the throng of people, mostly women out and about doing their regular housekeeping chores while their husbands worked. He groaned when he saw the huge line for the meat cart. The man sighed heavily but got in line anyway, right behind a woman in a green kimono and the strangest shade of hair you had ever seen—a weird combination of red and brown.

The woman in green seemed to catch a glance of him in her peripheral vision; she did a double-take, as if unsure whether or not to believe what she was seeing. Quickly, she whirled around and gave him the largest smile Sokka had ever seen. "I can't believe you're here! You're here, and you're alive in Ba Sing Se!" She looked so excited and so happy to see him, little pools of tears quickly forming at the base of her blue eyes.

The tribesman gaped. He took a step backwards, and his eyes reflected confusion… But more than that, they were blank. The woman could see her reflection in the shimmering liquid in his eyes, but those glacial blue orbs were devoid of anything familiar—there was not the shimmer of humor, nor the sparkle of wit beneath them. They were… empty. Dull of the familiarity she knew.

The smile slowly faded from her face, and it was all she could do to keep her heart from vibrating so fast it exploded from her chest. Sokka looked around, as if to be sure she was really talking to him. The girl in green felt her limbs begin to shake when those three simple words rolled off his tongue—

--

His brown eyebrows turned down in a scowl. How did this stranger know his name? He used his elbows to scoot himself away from her and towards the tent wall. Some weird girl watching him while he slept…

She noticed his animosity and her mouth sort of fell open, a horrified look written all over her face.

The tribesman tried to clear his throat again, looking around. Where was his family—his sister and his father and his Gran-Gran? Shouldn't the village healer be here, or at least some relative? Where were the normal, pure-white pelts and furs, the icy blue tinge to everything?

Sokka's glacier blue eyes locked onto hers, and he spoke the only words that came to mind—

--

"Who are you?"

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